Skip to main content

Overview

Smart Reframing solves one of the biggest challenges in repurposing content for social media: converting horizontal (landscape) videos into vertical formats without losing the action. ClypAI’s AI-powered reframing tracks the important elements in your video and automatically crops for optimal vertical viewing.
Platform Optimization: Over 98% of TikTok and Instagram Reels content is consumed in vertical format. Horizontal videos perform poorly on these platforms.

The Vertical Format Challenge

Most content is recorded in landscape (16:9) format:
  • Desktop screens and monitors
  • Traditional cameras and webcams
  • Streaming software defaults
  • Professional video equipment
But modern social platforms demand vertical (9:16) format:
  • TikTok
  • Instagram Reels
  • YouTube Shorts
  • Snapchat Spotlight
The Problem: Simply cropping to vertical loses 75% of your frame, often cutting out speakers, text, or key visual elements. The Solution: ClypAI’s Smart Reframing intelligently tracks and follows the action, ensuring nothing important is lost.

How Smart Reframing Works

1

Content Analysis

ClypAI analyzes your video frame-by-frame to identify:
  • Faces and people
  • Text and graphics
  • Movement and action
  • Points of visual interest
  • Screen shares and presentations
The AI understands what viewers need to see at each moment.
2

Intelligent Tracking

The system tracks important elements throughout the video:
  • Face Tracking: Keeps speakers centered in frame
  • Action Tracking: Follows movement and gestures
  • Text Tracking: Ensures on-screen text remains visible
  • Multi-Subject Tracking: Manages multiple people or elements
  • Scene Changes: Smoothly transitions between different shots
3

Smooth Reframing

The vertical crop automatically adjusts its position:
  • Smooth panning to follow movement
  • Natural transitions between subjects
  • Optimized centering and composition
  • Maintains visual stability
  • Avoids distracting jerky movements
4

Format Optimization

Final output is optimized for each platform:
  • Correct aspect ratios (9:16, 4:5, 1:1)
  • Platform-specific resolution
  • Proper metadata and orientation tags
  • Maximum quality for file size

Supported Aspect Ratios

ClypAI can reframe your content to any aspect ratio:

Vertical (9:16)

Best for: TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts1080 x 1920 pixelsMaximizes screen real estate on mobile devices

Portrait (4:5)

Best for: Instagram Feed, Facebook Stories1080 x 1350 pixelsLarger feed presence without being too tall

Square (1:1)

Best for: Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter)1080 x 1080 pixelsUniversal format that works everywhere
Export Once, Share Everywhere: Export your clip in multiple aspect ratios simultaneously to cover all your platforms.

Reframing Modes

Choose the reframing mode that best suits your content: Fully automatic reframing with AI making all decisions:
  • Tracks faces and speakers automatically
  • Follows on-screen action
  • Handles scene changes intelligently
  • Best for: Podcasts, interviews, vlogs, talking-head content

Center Mode

Keeps the crop centered on the frame:
  • Static center position
  • No tracking or movement
  • Simple and predictable
  • Best for: Already-centered content, presentations, static shots

Manual Mode

Full control over crop position:
  • Keyframe-based positioning
  • Custom tracking paths
  • Fine-tune specific moments
  • Best for: Creative projects, specific composition needs

Text-Priority Mode

Prioritizes keeping on-screen text visible:
  • Detects and tracks text elements
  • Ensures captions and graphics stay in frame
  • Secondary priority on faces
  • Best for: Tutorial videos, presentations with text overlays

Platform-Specific Optimization

ClypAI’s Smart Reframing understands each platform’s unique requirements:
TikTok Optimization
  • 9:16 vertical format (1080x1920)
  • Maximum 60-second clips
  • High-energy crops with dynamic movement
  • Text-safe zones for TikTok UI elements
  • Optimized encoding for TikTok’s compression
Special Features:
  • Extra headroom for profile picture overlay
  • Safe zones for “like” and “comment” buttons
  • Caption positioning to avoid UI overlap

Multi-Person Scenarios

Smart Reframing handles complex multi-person videos:

Interviews and Conversations

  • Two People: Alternates focus between speakers
  • Panel Discussions: Intelligently frames active speaker
  • Split Screens: Detects and reframes split-screen layouts

Group Content

  • Group Shots: Finds optimal framing to include all important faces
  • Dynamic Groups: Adjusts as people enter or leave frame
  • Priority Speakers: Maintains focus on primary speaker
Speaker Detection: ClypAI uses audio analysis combined with visual tracking to identify who’s speaking and prioritize them in the frame.

Screen Share and Presentation Content

Special handling for screen recordings and presentations:

Screen Recording Mode

  • Detects screen share content automatically
  • Prioritizes text and UI elements
  • Maintains cursor visibility
  • Zooms in on important areas

Presentation Mode

  • Keeps slides fully visible
  • Maintains text readability
  • Smart cropping of wide slides
  • Picture-in-picture option for speaker
Hybrid Content: For videos mixing talking head and screen share, ClypAI automatically switches between reframing modes at scene changes.

Dashboard Controls

Fine-tune reframing directly in your ClypAI dashboard:

Preview and Adjust

  1. Side-by-Side Preview: See original and reframed versions simultaneously
  2. Frame-by-Frame Review: Step through your video to check reframing
  3. Tracking Visualization: See what the AI is tracking in real-time
  4. Quick Adjustments: Adjust crop position with simple controls

Reframing Settings

Customize how Smart Reframing works:
  • Tracking Sensitivity: How aggressively to follow movement
  • Pan Speed: How quickly the crop moves
  • Stabilization: Amount of motion smoothing
  • Priority Settings: What to prioritize (faces, text, action)

Before and After

See the impact of Smart Reframing:
Without Smart ReframingWith Smart Reframing
Static center crop that cuts off speakersDynamic tracking keeps speakers in frame
Text and graphics lost outside frameAll important text remains visible
Awkward compositionProfessional, natural framing
Same crop for entire videoIntelligent adjustments throughout

Best Practices

If you know you’ll be reframing for vertical:
  • Stay more centered in frame
  • Avoid important elements at extreme edges
  • Use close-up shots when possible
  • Consider recording in 4K for more cropping flexibility
Always preview your reframed clips before exporting:
  • Check that faces stay in frame
  • Verify text readability
  • Ensure smooth tracking transitions
  • Review any manual adjustments
Take advantage of platform-specific presets:
  • Automatically apply best settings for each platform
  • Save time with pre-configured options
  • Ensure platform compliance
Smart Reframing works perfectly with auto-captions:
  • Captions are automatically positioned for vertical format
  • Text-safe zones prevent UI overlap
  • Captions enhance reframed clips

Advanced Features

Custom Tracking

Manually define what to track in specific scenes:
  1. Identify the subject or element to track
  2. Draw a bounding box around it
  3. ClypAI maintains focus on that element
  4. Override AI decisions for creative control

Keyframe Animation

Create custom crop movements:
  • Set keyframes at specific timestamps
  • Define exact crop positions
  • Create custom transitions
  • Perfect for artistic or branded content

Batch Reframing

Apply reframing settings to multiple clips:
  1. Configure reframing settings once
  2. Select multiple clips
  3. Apply settings to all at once
  4. Process clips in parallel

Integration with Workflows

Smart Reframing integrates seamlessly with your content workflow:

Getting Started

1

Upload Horizontal Video

Upload any landscape video to your ClypAI dashboard.
2

Select Target Format

Choose your target aspect ratio (9:16 for most social platforms).
3

Choose Reframing Mode

Select Auto mode for AI-powered reframing, or choose another mode for specific needs.
4

Preview and Adjust

Review the reframed video and make any necessary adjustments.
5

Export

Export your perfectly reframed vertical video ready for social media.

Try Smart Reframing

Upload a horizontal video and automatically reframe it for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
Coming Soon: Real-time reframing preview during upload, AI learning from your manual adjustments, and cinematic reframing modes with advanced camera movements.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love